


The Statistical Probability of Falling in Love at First Sight

by Scribe_de_la_Vie



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Airport AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Holiday Fic Exchange, Holidays, Meet-Cute, Secret Santa, Snowed In, itsfriarshart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 14:08:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9075241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scribe_de_la_Vie/pseuds/Scribe_de_la_Vie
Summary: The title comes from the book that inspired it.Riley and Farkle get snowed in at O'Hare and are stuck together for Christmas eve-Christmas morning.Maybe it's not such a horrible time.(AU, they don't know each other)Written for a GMW Holiday gift exchange.





	

_That’s one hell of a storm_. He frowned down at the departure time on his ticket. 9:45 PM. He glanced up at the expected departure time on the grainy TV screen before looking back to the window with a sinking feeling. They weren’t even pretending to know what time it could take off and were now just putting in ‘TBA’. It looked like he was going to have to spend the early hours of christmas in an airport.

It was his fault, really. No, he couldn’t control the weather, but he could have booked an earlier flight. He could have chosen a different airport. A different layover. A different cab. Or, he could have suffered through an extra day with his family on Christmas Eve. _No, that’s not likely_ , he thought with a mental grimace.

Somehow, holidays with his family had only become more difficult since their divorce. They were happier overall, but the holidays seemed to bring out the nasty in his parents. At least he was the only shared child that had to suffer through it.

The only thing that made it better was adulthood. He would willingly acknowledge that New York was the greatest city in the world, but he had a separate set of circumstances that… _soured_ things. He’d taken the first job he could outside of the region. He’d attended school out of state. He’d packed his bags with a goofy grin, knowing the kind of relief that he’d feel.

He’d chosen MIT for college, but he might have done that anyway, considering his career field. He could have gone to Columbia, but he didn’t trust his parents not to screw that up - so MIT it was. Despite the increased academic stress that came from there, there was nothing like the feeling of living away from home. He went through school and continued to chase that feeling. He wasn’t too far away, not really. Sure, he was on the other side of the continental US, but he was only a few non-delayed flights away. Not too bad under normal circumstances.

O’Hare was never this bad… then again, Chicago didn’t usually see snow bad enough at this time of year to cancel flights. Ice, sure, but they knew to prepare for that. There was no stopping the menacing clouds tumbling their way toward the runways.

Farkle let his head sag back into the awkwardly stiff cushion of his chair. He might as well leave the gate. He might be able to get a cab to a hotel before everything got snatched up - if he could even get a room at this time on Christmas Eve, which was unlikely. No, he should go and get food before everyone figures out that leaving is a lost cause. He’s going to be there for a while.

He looked over at a girl who seemed to be coming to the same conclusion. She was staring at the windows with a glare, probably willing the clouds to go somewhere else. Oh, that that would work.

Farkle was about to look away and grab his things when she turned and caught his eye. She wasn’t quite… It wasn’t a smile, but it was something. Caught off guard, he flashed her a crooked grin. Maybe it wouldn’t be so boring.

She cocked her head a bit to the side before letting a similar smile slip onto her face. A quick scan around the room told him that she was his best prospect for stimulating conversation, so he figured he might as well try. “What do you think the odds are that we’ll be able to leave Chicago before Christmas?”

She looked thoughtful before decisively declaring that their chances were slim to none. He chuckled in agreement before asking if she’d like to find something to eat.

She shrugged and decided that it would be at least a little better than the food on the plane. With that, they took their carryon bags and headed to the food court.

He couldn’t decide if she was shy, or if she just didn't’ want to talk to him. _She’s here, isn’t she?_ He mused. “What’s your name?”

She considered for a moment before answering. “I was always told not to give information to strangers.”

“Isn’t that what would make me a non-stranger?” he asked with a laugh.

She shook her head. “No, I’d have to know something about you for you to be a non-stranger. You know, I bet they have a word for that other than a stopgap word.”

He girnned. “That might be so. I’m Farkle.”

“Gesundheit!”

He would have frowned if his name hadn’t garnered the same response 100 times before. “No, that’s my name. Farkle.” At her look of surprise, he explained. “My parents hated me. If not, they _really_ wanted to make sure that I understood _some_ kind of hardship.” It hadn’t been all that much of a decrease in privilege, if he was being honest. Being a white man was so hard. Tragic, really.

She offered him her hand. “I’m Riley. So, are you heading toward family or away from it?”

“Toward, somewhat unwillingly,” he murmured, shaking his head and grimacing.

She grinned at his expression. “Me too… except I actually like spending time with my family.”

He raised his free hand in defense, insisting, “Hey, you wouldn’t like my family if you met them either.”

Riley shrugged. “Could be, could be.”

Somehow they shuffled their way in the right direction and found themselves at the food court, filled with fast food, healthy options being few and far between. She reached for his and and pulled him in the direction of a desert place, shocking him. He followed along, not at all disappointed in the turn of events.

Sue him, she was cute.

“These milkshakes are great, but never have them anywhere else.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, and she explained before he could even articulate his question. “The chain is terrible and everywhere, but I know the people who work at this one. Theirs are better.”

He nodded his head dumbly, not quite sure what to say to that. She quickly went up to order, obviously knowing her choice ahead of time. He didn’t quite catch what she’d gotten, but she did hear a “and whatever he’s having” at the end. He flushed a bit at that, but nodded in thanks. Once they had their smoothies, hers strawberry, his chocolate, he took her hand again and pulled her over to the ‘good’ chinese food in the food court.

She went along with him, an easy smile making its way to her face. It was nice. Comfortable.

When they got to the counter, he suppressed a preemptive smirk, noting that the employee was asian and seemed to be chinese before ordering. “ _Wǒ yào yī fèn gōng bǎo jī dīng._ ”

The cashier gave him a strange look and said, “I’m from Chicago. Born and raised. The only person in my family who still speaks mandarin is my grandmother, and she never emigrated.”

Farkle blushed fiercely and muttered an apology. He looked over to Riley who was trying very hard not to laugh. She covered her amusement and asked for an order of Ma Po Tofu, and he murmured that he’d have Kung Pao Chicken before she could take her wallet out to pay for it. He tabulated the price before he was told and gave the exact change to the cashier, nodding as the cashier read the total off. He waited awkwardly for them to assemble the order, wanting to get as far away from the scene of his embarrassment as soon as possible.

They were handed their food shortly - because nothing is fresh in an airport food court - and made their way back to the gate. Neither of them said anything - him because he was afraid he would babble something and her because… well he didn’t know why.

He caught her eye and she burst out laughing. So that’s what that was all about. He blushed furiously, but felt himself easing into her laughter, joining in. He’d had a lot of experience with people laughing at him, but none that put him at ease.

This wasn’t good, catching the feels was not a part of the plan. He was supposed to go to New York, see his family, have a terrible time and then go home. He didn’t even know where she was from, other than the fact that her family was in New York, too. She could live thousands of miles away.

Feels would not be convenient.

Feels are also not to be controlled…

Damn the feels.

When they got back to the gate, they found chairs near each other, taking care to find those that didn’t have odd tears, scents, or stray litter - though every time they passed a chair or area strewn with litter, she picked it up and put it in a garbage bag that she just so _happened_ to carry with her at all times.

Damn, that was cute.

After claiming their seats, she went to go dispose of the trash and left him sitting there, wracking his brain to think of something, _anything_ to keep her interested in him. They’d already gotten to the most strange factoid, his name, but he didn’t know what she liked, what would impress her, if he even vaguely qualified for either of those categories.

He hoped he would.

He had a feeling he wouldn't.

She sat down next to him again and carried on with her surprises. She turned herself fully to face him and looked him right in the eyes with unerring determination. “We’re gonna be here for a while, yeah?”

He swallowed, very much caught off guard. “Yeah.”

Riley narrowed her eyes, “Gonna get pretty bored?”

He nodded. “Seems likely.”

She leaned back a bit, giving him a bit of breathing room. “Twenty questions, go.”

He blinked owlishly at her, not at all surprised by how surprising she managed to continue to be. “Twenty questions, sure… but my version.”

Riley nodded her head prompting him to go on.

“We’re both going to ask twenty questions, but we’re each going to answer the questions we ask. I figure that’ll kill more time.”

She grinned, “ I like that.”

They fell into a somewhat rapid fire session of information, despite their aim to kill time. _Well, we can extend it to forty if it doesn’t take long enough, I guess_ , he thought.

Riley started them off. “Where do you live? I’m local, in Chicago.”

Chicago. That wasn’t too far… he’d gotten a job offer there recently. _Off topic, Minkus_. “I’m in L.A. right now. Where are you from?”

“New York City, Greenwich Village.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “SoHo, near Little Italy.”

She nodded a bit. “Wanna split a cab?”

Farkle chuckled at that. “Is that your second question?”

Riley rolled her eyes at him and sighed. “Where are your parents from? Mine are from Philadelphia.”

He nodded. “Mine too. Ok, let’s take a break from the weird. Did you go to college?”

She nodded, and he waited a moment before realizing that she was waiting on him to say the same. “You’re not going to… go on? No? Ok, I did too.”

“Thanks for wasting a question,” she said with a grin. “Where did you go and what did you study? I was at the University of Chicago. I double majored in Gender and Sexuality Studies and Cinema and Media studies.”

He nodded, appreciating the combination. “I went to MIT for Astrophysics with a touch of Theoretical Physics thrown in.”

“ _Why?_ ”

“It’s not your turn, Riles, but I’ll grant that it’s a good question. Why did you choose what you chose? I wanted to know more about things beyond earth. I’ve found that the things we tend to classify as ‘other’ and outside of what ‘us’ is, tend to have a lot more in common with the world we live in than we give them credit for. And I like saying that and causing people to ask ‘why’ in disgust.”

“I guess you’re succeeding then,” she said through a laugh. “For me… I liked the notion of telling stories, and I wanted to find a way to tell stories without closed perspectives and exclusion. Stories are best told when they can affect even those who wouldn’t want to listen. Then again, most people don’t want to listen.”

He nodded, trying to absorb that. “Did you ever want to study something else?”

“Yeah… Astrophysics… I have a strong affinity for the planets.” He heard her murmur something else and asked for her to repeat it. “I never really let go of Pluto.”

Farkle smiled. He knew the feeling. “I went through a lot of majors… tried to even invent some, but those were sort of temporary. Before I even thought of MIT, I really wanted to study literature and poetry. To me… the subjects aren’t all that different from physics and engineering.”

She smiled but then it slipped into a frown. “Shit, I can’t really answer that question, except… well I did sort of invent a major, or at least a path of study. No one had ever paired those two majors before.” When he grinned, she snarked, “Why anyone studying cinema would ever need to know about gender and sexuality stories is beyond me.” Riley cocked her head to the side. “What did you try to turn into a major?”

Farkle blushed and swallowed. “Odd things. Bits of things. I was always a curious kid, I wanted to know things. The percent of humans who dream in color, the way that we decide to do things, rather than feel… the perfect ratio of mayo to sandwich…” That earned a chuckle or two from her. From there, they stopped counting and just… asked.

“Favorite color?”

“Orange.”

“Purple.”

He nodded. “Favorite movie?”

“The Wizard of Oz.”

“Return of the Jedi.”

She screwed up her nose a bit, probably thinking. “Childhood pet?”

“Nada.”

“My kid brother’s imaginary dog.”

He barked a laugh and went on. “Favorite subject in middle school?”

“History.”

“Science.”

“Favorite Harry Potter book?” This was an important question, neither of them had better screw it up.

“Goblet of Fire.” Solid book, good movie.

“Halfblood Prince.”

She nodded at his response, clearly good enough. “Worst date?”

“At a debate match.”

“On a subway.”

“Ouch…”

“Right?” she snorted. “Onward. Least favorite hour?”

“3pm. I hate it, don’t know why.”

“4pm, because dinner’s still far off.”

He grinned. “Worst experience in an airport?”

“I… I don’t remember,” she said, thinking hard.

“Me either. Not this one?”

“No, not this one,” she said with a smile. “Favorite place to live?”

“Manhattan… if my parents weren’t there.”

“Chicago… If my best friend were there, so I’ll have to say Manhattan.”

o~O~o

The questions kept going, varying in their seriousness and interest, but all of them were acceptable in the way of keeping boredom at bay.

“Ok,” Riley sighed. “Last question.”

“You were keeping track?”

“Of course.”

He nodded, unsurprised. “Shoot.”

“If you could study anything, anything at all for the next four years, certified major or no… what would it be?”

“You first?”

“The effects of milkshake and chinese food when consumed together over a longer period of time.”

He let out a deep belly laugh at that, knowing _exactly_ what she meant. “Mine would be -”

A chime on their phones went off, slightly delayed from each other, alerting them to the current status of their rebookings or refunds, simultaneously letting them know that christmas eve was long over.

They had another three hours yet before another flight would be taking off heading to JFK.

He swore and she sighed, but it wasn’t the worst thing that could happen.

“You were saying?” she asked, waving her hand, prompting him to continue.

“If I could study any subject over the next four years… I would have to say…” He leaned in until his face was nearing hers and whispered, “the statistical probability of falling in love at first sight.”

Riley’s eyes widened in surprise, but she didn’t pull away. He decided to press his luck and continue. “Can I kiss you?”

“You’d better -”

She might have said something more, but suddenly her lips were too busy to continue. They stayed there like that for a time, unaware of other people in the gate glaring or aweing at them. They made their own little world. When they pulled away, she murmured, “Astro boy”.

Farkle screwed up the goofy grin on his face. “Astro boy?”

She smirked at that. “Astrophysics, nerdy boy… yeah, I’d say so.”

“You’re going with that?” he asked, eyebrows raised in defiance.

“Yeah.” She wasn’t backing down, apparently.

He let out a sigh of exasperation, accepting his fate. “I’m never gonna shake that am I?”

“I should hope not,” she whispered before going in for another kiss.

_He could live with that._

**_To be continued?_ **

**Author's Note:**

> I'll write more if y'all want it. I liked the idea. Happy holidays to you all, and especially to @itsfriarshart on tumblr, the recipient of my secret santa fic.


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